Study of dogs and their humans seeks to make life better for both

The Dog Aging Project started in 2019. It's a collaboration between the University of Washington School of Medicine and more than a dozen other institutions around the country. They're learning about how dogs grow old, and how it might help us, their humans, stay healthier as we age. KUOW’s Kim Malcolm talked to UW Professor Daniel Promislow, who co-directs the project.

Daniel Promislow: “Dogs age just like we do. They get the same diseases that we do. As they get older, they slow down. Their cognitive function declines. We know that in people, good diet, exercise, healthy sleep, and a good social life are all associated with healthy aging. And we think the same is likely to be true in dogs.”

Promislow says researchers are looking into social interactions and the impact that can have on our dogs' health.

“This is a really interesting finding. We know that in humans, interacting with other people is one of the best things that you can do for your health. And it looks like the same might be true of dogs. Dogs that are in homes with other dogs tend to be healthier. So, social interactions in general are a good thing. And we might be able to learn from dogs why it's so good for people.”

Dogs, their humans, vets, researchers, and volunteers participate in the project, considered the most ambitious canine health study in the world. It will follow thousands of dogs for 10 years, with the goal of identifying biological and environmental factors that increase health and longevity. We asked Promislow about something that made us curious — kids, often the reason a dog joins a family. He says there may be a slight surprise there.

“It's hard to know for sure. We did find a correlation between the owner-reported health of the dog and how many kids are in the family. It's possible that people with lots of kids are spending more time focusing on the health of their kids, which means they have less time maybe to take the dog to the veterinarian regularly.”

We wondered what pulled Daniel Promislow into this work in the first place.

“I've been working on aging for my whole career, for more than 30 years now. It's a fascinating problem. We all experience it in our loved ones, our friends. Aging is like a big connector. You can study anything related to aging, and dogs age just like we do. We love dogs. So it seemed like a no-brainer.”

If your dog has been listening to this story and wants to join the study, there's still an opportunity to do so. The Dog Aging Project takes all ages, sizes, and breeds.

Listen by clicking the play button above.